This invention relates to a process for the production of monocyclic .beta.-lactams and to intermediates employed in the process. In particular, it relates to a process for the production of N-hydroxy-2-azetidinones, intermediates which can be converted by known methods to N-unsubstituted azetidinones or to O-sulfated N-hydroxy-2-azetidinones.
The recent discovery and structure elucidation of the .beta.-lactamase inhibitor clavulanic acid, the antibiotic penems and carbapenems, as well as the monocyclic nocardicins and monobactams have led to a reconsideration of the structure-activity relationships of the .beta.-lactam antibiotics. Consequently, related synthetic and enzymatic studies of monocyclic .beta.-lactams have received new impetus. This invention provides a simple and economically practical method for the production of N-hydroxy-2-azetidinones which are key intermediates for the preparation of monocyclic .beta.-lactams, including the nocardicins, monobactams, and the newer O-sulfated N-hydroxy-2-azetidinone antibiotics.